The Contestant - Hulu
90mins // Misfits Entertainment / MRC / Hulu
A fascinating record of a controversial mega-hit Japanese TV show, which saw an aspiring comedian locked in a room and living off magazine prizes.
The notorious Japanese TV reality show Denpa Shōnen: A Life in Prizes, which ran from 1998 to 2002, stirred up ethical debates around its dubious premise. Among the absurd missions doled out to eager participants, a segment of the show featured the young comedian Nasubi. Isolated in an empty room and initially naked, Nasubi filled out postcards to enter magazine sweepstakes that secured him clothes, food and other essential products, with each win bringing him closer to a pre-set target. Combining clips from the show with previously unseen footage, alongside interviews with Nasubi, his family and Denpa Shōnen’s producer, The Contestant is an astute account of a national phenomenon that presaged the global rise in reality TV.
Directed By: Clair Titley
THE MAKING OF THE SCORE
Nasubi is a complex personality. He is respectful, humble and hides his true feelings under a mask of charm, absurd behaviour and wacky humour. The score had to reflect Nasubi’s state of mind over the course of time he was on the show, but also over the 20 years coming to terms with life after winning.
There are dream-like Diary sequences where you are inside Nasubi’s mind reflecting on his time in the room. The sequences are slightly surreal and quirky, which gave me space to play with unusual form and structure in the music.
Clair, the director, wanted to portray Toshio, the show’s chillingly manipulative TV producer, as the villain. The score oscillates between the ebb and flow of Nasubi and Toshio’s relationship.
I used percussion and found sounds in a minimalist way, which worked as a total contrast to the extreme noise and chaotic sound effects of the 90s Japanese game show music. We steered away from cliched traditional Japanese musical influences but the sound palette and the harmonic structure of many cues do have subtle references to Japanese contemporary culture.
FILM REVIEWS
"thoroughly compelling and equally disturbing"
- Filmhounds